Senior Partner; Head Capital Markets; Head Projects and Energy
Manila
Philippines
+63 2 8687 1195
Notable practitioner
Capital markets : Equity
M&A
Manuel has over 20 years of experience in corporate and commercial law, specializing in securities and capital markets, power and infrastructure, mergers and acquisitions and cross border transactions.
Manuel is ranked by the IFLR 1000 as a Notable Practitioner in Capital Markets, and by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific as a Leading Individual in Projects and Energy since 2019. He is also consistently recognized as a “Recommended Lawyer” by the Legal 500 for Capital Markets and has likewise been cited for his work in Banking and Finance.
In the area of Capital Markets, his expertise covers initial public offerings, backdoor listings and listings by way of introduction, rights offering, and top-up transactions among others. Manuel most recently represented two issuer’s in their initial public offerings – in the first he acted as counsel to Citicore Energy REIT Corp. (CREIT) in its Php 6.3 billion Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) offering to the investing public. This offering is unique because it is the first renewable energy company to actually be structured as a REIT and listed under the Philippine REIT law, a law intended to originally benefit real estate companies. Manuel and his team restructured CREIT to fit the requirements of the Philippine REIT Law and worked with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission and the Philippine Stock Exchange and obtained approval for the public listing of the company under the Philippine REIT Law. The other offering was a listing on the small to medium enterprise (SME) board of the Philippine Stock Exchange of a Balai Pandesal (Balai) engaged in the retail bakery business. Balai operates three brands and sells these baked goods in community stores throughout neighborhoods and central business districts. The listing of Balai on the SME Board is the first food and beverage listing on the SME Board. Manuel further completed the reverse takeover of a company, engaged in the development and operation of renewable energy projects, listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange.
For Projects and Energy, Manuel actively advises some of the largest renewable energy companies in the country on their project finance requirements, expansion and diversification initiatives through acquisition and development of greenfield and brownfield projects. He also acts as advisor and represents some of the largest petroleum companies in the country in their acquisition, expansion and diversification initiatives.
In the field of Mergers & Acquisition, Manuel has advised on the acquisition of a well-known international consumer brand. He was also involved in the partnership by another client with a major Japanese telecommunications company. In another acquisition, he led a team that acquired five different companies that owned and operated various power plants across the country. Recently, he advised a client on its merger/joint venture with a major international petroleum company for its mid-stream and downstream petroleum business.
On the development and infrastructure front, Manuel has extensive exposure in public biddings for government projects. Under the Public-Private Partnership Program of the government, he advised clients in bids for the modernization of the orthopedic hospital of the Department of Health, the building of schools of the Department of Education, as well as the takeover and rehabilitation of the second largest international airport in the country and the development and operation of a major transportation terminal consolidating rail and bus operators serving Metro Manila, both projects of the Department of Transportation and Communications, among others.
Manuel has always been keen in helping foreign investors in the Philippines. He serves as Director, Corporate Secretary and counsel to some of the largest foreign business process outsourcing companies, advising them on investment structuring, intellectual property rights, and on requirements and procedures for registration with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the Board of Investments, and other government agencies.
Prior to co-founding the Firm in 2006, Manuel was a partner at Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos.
Banking and Finance
Capital Markets
Projects and Energy
Corporate and M&A
Real Estate & Construction
The Asia Pacific Legal 500
‘Manuel Z Gonzalez Gwyneth S Ong Janice L Co: All three of them, working as a team, are dedicated to their client’s goals, work tirelessly to ensure that the client’s objectives are achieved, and they are dutiful and have a keen eye for detail in the documentation of the agreements that are reached between the seller and buyer sides.’
‘Manuel Gonzalez and Gwyneth S Ong provide up to date and relevant legal advice that are important to the client’s IP interests and decision-making, as well as in charting the course of the company’s business.’
‘Martinez Vergara Gonzalez & Serrano’s lawyers have ‘practical knowledge and a proactive approach’. The ‘driven and dynamic’ Manuel Gonzalez heads the department.’
IFLR 1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms
Capital Markets (31st Edition) – Notable Practitioner
‘Knowledgeable, solution-oriented, and able to close deals.’
‘Good grasp of subject, skilled communication, good problem-solving skills and sound legal advice.’
MVGS - MARTINEZ VERGARA & GONZALEZ SOCIEDAD
MVGS - MARTINEZ VERGARA & GONZALEZ SOCIEDAD